Homecoming ceremony held in Avon for troops back from Afghanistan

A group of 114 soldiers is back home after serving for nine months in Kandahar.

AVON – A sea of American flags carried Saturday afternoon by dozens of people greeted a group of soldiers who had returned home from serving in Afghanistan.

Amid clapping and cheering, soldiers from the Army’s 532nd Port Management Team made their into the Avon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.

They received a special motorcycle escort from the Patriot Guard Riders and the Brockton police. The 114 soldiers who make up the unit served a nine-month mission in Kandahar. They returned home a month ago.

“It’s really overwhelming to see this outpouring of support from family and friends,” said Lt. Scott Spencer of Norwood.

It was the first time in Afghanistan for the 34-year-old reservist. “To see the whole town welcome us home is a real blessing,” he said.

his wife, Emily Spencer, helped to organize Saturday’s homecoming event. She worked as a family readiness group leader for the unit.

“Taking care of our families has been a huge honor,” Spencer said. “It’s been a very long year and we all stand together.”

Spencer also created the Heartillery Group, which sends soldiers cards overseas. They have sent 15,000 cards to soldiers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and other occasions.

“It was a cure for loneliness,” said Spencer. After sending out a message on Facebook, the group now has 25,000 members.

Battalion commander Lt. Col. Michael Floru trained the group before they headed overseas. He thanked the relatives and friends that showed up at Saturday’s event.

“Our families and friends are the backbone of our support system and if you don’t have a good one it makes it harder to focus on the job,” he said.

Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter took part in the convoy over to Avon.

“My son served in the Marine Corps in the Gulf during the time of the USS Cole and I know as a dad, there was never one second of the day I wasn’t thinking of him,” Carpenter said.

Gen. Michael Mann spoke to the group after lunch. “This is setting the standard for homecomings,” he said. “It’s a great day to be a soldier.”

Cheryl Ruskiewicz of Brockton attended the ceremony as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that honors those who risk their lives for our country. Many of them, including Ruskiewicz, attend events on their motorcycles.

She was one of two dozen holding flags to form an arch that the convoy of soldiers drove through when they arrived in Avon. “It’s important to line up and give them the welcome home they deserve,” she said.

Jennifer Bray may be reached at jbray@enterprisenews.com or follow her on Twitter @JenniferB_ENT.